All the latest breaking news on the Metropolitan Police. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on the Metropolitan Police and the LGBT+ community.
Police are asking the public for help in finding trans teenager Isla Franco.
Isla Franco, who is aged 15 has been missing since Tuesday. The teenager, who identifies as transgender went missing from a mental health facility in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Isla is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall, of slim build, and with brown shoulder length hair with pink highlights.
Isla is transgender; however it is believed she may have cut her hair and be identifying as a boy named Johnny.
A number of unconfirmed sightings have placed Isla in central London and Lambeth, including reports of her busking, but despite extensive efforts she has not yet been located.
She was last seen wearing a black top, black skinny jeans, a brown coat and brown shoes.
Officers are concerned for her welfare and ask anyone with information as to her whereabouts to call police on 101.
Police in London have released efits of two men they wish to speak to following a homophobic assault on two men in Lambeth.
Police have released these e fits of two men they would like to question in connection to homophobic assaults on two men in Lambert, London.
Detectives are appealing for witnesses after two men were assaulted in Lambeth in what detectives are treating as a homophobic hate crime.
Officers have today released E-fits of two men they wish to identify and speak with.
Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at around 00:50hrs on Sunday, 30 July to Windmill Walk, SE1 to a report of two men injured following an assault.
The victims, aged 53 and 49, suffered facial injuries and were taken to a south London hospital for treatment. They have since been discharged.
“Motivated by homophobia”
The men told police that they were approached by a group of four males who launched an unprovoked attack which appeared to be motivated by homophobia. The suspects were all described as white and wearing hooded tops. One of them spoke with a strong Northern Irish accent.
The assaults, in which one of the victims lost some teeth, are being treated as a suspected hate crime.
An ambulance was called at 12.50 AM on Sunday, 30 July to Windmill Walk, SE1 to a report of two men injured following an assault.
Detective Constable Matt Cockroft, from Lambeth CID, said, “This was a shocking attack on two men who were simply walking along the road.
“I would urge anyone who recognises either of these men to contact us. I would also like to speak with anyone who witnessed the assault but has not yet to come forward.”
No arrest made
There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.
Any witnesses and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or Tweet via @MetCC.
The Met have long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities and the hidden nature of this crime, which remains largely under-reported. The MPS stands together with policing partners, colleagues and groups to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims and their families, and bring perpetrators to justice.
We would appeal to anyone who witnesses or suffers hate crime of any type to immediately report it so that action can quickly be taken and catch those responsible.
Hate crime can be reported through 999 in an emergency, by dialling 101 in a non-emergency, directly at a police station, through the MOPAC Hate Crime app or through community reporting methods such as Tell MAMA, Galop, or the Community Security Trust [CST].
Ever wanted to know what it’s like to work in the country’s biggest police force? Now is your chance as the Met takes to Twitter to answer questions from the public.
David Fall has spent his entire policing career wanting to specialise in investigating serious and complex cases. His aim has always been to support victims as best as he possibly can.
Twenty years after becoming a police officer, he was one of the Met’s stars on the BBC documentary – showing the capital what his team are doing to keep Londoners safe.
Interested in a career as a detective within the Met? Follow #JoinTheMet on Twitter tonight from 6pm, where DC Fall will be taking your questions. Find out if this is the change you have been looking a career within the Met is the change you have been looking for.
“My name is David Fall and I am currently a Detective working in the Met’s Sexual Offences Unit within SC&O17 command based within North West of London.
“I was born and raised in Southampton. Growing up it was always my boyhood dream to become a Police Officer. As soon as I was old enough to apply I did and as a fresh faced 18 year old I was successful on application and joined Hampshire Constabulary as a PC.
“I enjoyed working there however in 2005 I made the decision to transfer to the bright lights of London. The appeal of policing the world’s capital City was too good an opportunity for me to turn down.
“I was first posted to Wandsworth borough and I was very much a stranger to London. I remember feeling overwhelmed at the enormity of the city and the sheer size of the Met. The opportunities seemed vast and varied. I was able to settle quickly due to how my colleagues treated me, there was a real ‘police family’ feeling at Wandsworth. I was both fortunate and grateful for that.
“I spent three years in the Homicide Command before transferring to the child protection unit in late 2011.
“In November 2015 I was posted to the command of SC&017 where I have spent five years in total and the last 18 months of which, in ‘Sapphire’, where I am responsible for investigating serious sexual offences and stranger rapes.
“I have been a Detective for 11 years now and became a Detective to investigate the most serious, grave and complex crimes. It sounds a bit corny but to lock up the criminals that inflict pain and misery on good members of our society was a driving force behind my decision to become a detective.
“The hardest part of the job is the sheer volume of work that can be very demanding, so it’s important to be able to prioritise tasks in any given investigation.
“There is nothing more rewarding and satisfying than giving the victim and their families justice in Court. I enjoy presenting complex cases during trials at Crown Court and I appreciate the fact that I have the responsibility to be able to give the victim some comfort at such a difficult time in their life.”
The homophobic crime rate has continued to rise with nearly 6 offences per day on our capital’s streets.
There are, on average around 6 anti-LGBT offences being recorded every day on London’s streets, a 9.63% increase year on year. In total, 2037 crimes were reported for the year 2016/17 compared to 1861 crimes in 2015 /16 and 1559 in 2014/15.
However, the Metropolitan Police service was keen to point out that the crime rates were lower than five years ago and these current statistics are set against the gruelling austerity measures and “significant reductions in resources” set out by this current government.
Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, responsible for Territorial Policing, said,
“London is one of the safest global cities in the world. There are few others with such low rates of serious crime, such as murder and gun crime.
“Similar to the rest of England and Wales, crime rates in London are rising, but many of these are still at a much lower level than five years ago and are against the backdrop of significant reductions in resources.
“The crime picture has evolved and so must we in the way we police, recruit and operate. We have an ambitious transformation programme which is already underway and will deliver a 21st century police service for London, strengthening local policing by bringing specialist officers closer to communities.
“We are committed to increasing the amount of neighbourhood officers dedicated to particular areas to engage with the public and work with them to keep them safe; by the end of this year there will be an extra dedicated officer on every ward.
Seventeen of the Metropolitan Police Service’s officers are due to be interviewed as part of the IPCC’s investigation into the service’s response to the deaths of 4 men murdered by Stephen Port.
CREDIT: met police
The IPCC is to undertake interviews with 17 Met Police officers as part of their investigation into the service’s response to the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor – the victims of Stephen Port’s serial killings.
Since the IPCC’s investigation, start over 200 statements and 700 individual documents have been collected as part of the inquiry.
“Over the coming weeks our investigators will be undertaking interviews with the 17 officers who have been served with notices as part of the investigation. These interviews are an important milestone in the investigation as we continue to build the picture of the police response to the deaths. Misconduct notices are not judgemental in any way.
“We are grateful for the information provided to us by the family and friends of Anthony, Daniel, Gabriel, and Jack, as well as members the LGBT community and the wider public, and MPS officers. In an investigation of this magnitude, centred upon the tragic murders of four dearly missed young men, every piece of information counts and we continue to wish to hear from anyone who can assist this important work.
“My thoughts remain with everyone affected by Port’s horrific crimes, and they can be assured that we are committed to providing them with thorough conclusions as soon as we are able.”
Following the interview process, which will take a number of weeks, investigators will be in a position to complete the analysis of the evidence at hand and begin preparing the IPCC’s final report.
Two gay clubs in London were raided in the early hours of Friday morning by the Metropolitan Police. They arrested three men after a “quantity of suspected Class A drugs” were found on one of the premises.
Officers entered Vauxhall clubs, Fire and Lightbox and searched customers and members of staff. The venues were also searched.
According to police reports two 30-year-old men were arrested at Lightbox on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs. One of the men arrested is a staff member of Lightbox. The other man was additionally arrested on suspicion of breaching a court order. A third man, aged 28 was arrested at the same venue on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
All three were taken into custody at a south London police station where they remain.
No one was arrested at Fire.
Chief Inspector Lance Lamnea, of Lambeth borough, said,
“This operation was based on intelligence that indicated harmful substances were being sold at these nightclubs. We are committed to supporting a vibrant night time economy in the capital, but where we suspect offences are taking place we must take swift action to protect the public.
“In this case, anti-social behaviour – believed to be generated by those attending the clubs – has been having a detrimental effect on the lives of those living and working in the area.
“We will be working closely with both the clubs’ management and our partners to ensure the continuing safety of the public and consider whether there will be any impact on licensing issues.”
Convicted killer Stefano Brizzi has been sentenced to 24 years jail time for the murder of a gay serving police officer.
Stefano Brizzi has been handed a 24-year jail term for the murder of a serving police officer, Gordon Semple. The jail term means he will be at least 74 before he can apply for parole. He was also served with a seven years’ imprisonment for obstructing a coroner from holding an inquest, for which this sentence will run concurrently.
Brizzi was found guilty of murder at the same court on Monday, 14 November, but pleaded guilty to obstructing a coroner on Thursday, 20 October – the first day of his trial.
Brizzi, 50, went to great lengths to dispose of 59-year-old Gordon Semple, by dismembering him and getting rid of him in a manner which “amounts to cannibalism”. Police investigating Semple’s death also revealed that they found “a number of bottles of chemicals scattered over the hallway floor and in the bathroom,” when they arrived at Brizzi’s address.
CREDIT: Metropolitan Police
On Friday, 1 April, Gordon Semple, who dedicated 30 years of his working life to the police, was on duty and had been at a meeting in London Bridge. Phone evidence has shown that at just after 14:00hrs that day he used the dating app Grindr to arrange to meet Brizzi for sex at his south London flat. That afternoon, Brizzi strangled Gordon Semple to death and over the following week set about systematically disposing of his body in a bid to either avoid being caught or ensuring that Gordon could never be identified.
Police arrived at Brizzi’s address six days later on Thursday, 7 April, after neighbours called them and the London Ambulance Service after becoming increasingly concerned about a vile stench emanating from the flat.
On arrival at the door, the officers were greeted by Brizzi wearing his underpants. The officers noted a number of bottles of chemicals scattered over the hallway floor, and in the bathroom discovered bin bags containing body parts.
Brizzi was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to Lewisham police station.
Commander Nick Downing, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said,
“Today, my heart goes out to Gordon’s partner, family, loved ones, friends and colleagues. They have my deepest sympathy; his loss continues to be acutely felt.
“Brizzi has shown no remorse for his actions, since the time of his arrest and throughout his trial. With today’s sentence a dangerous man, whose cold calculated actions were deeply disturbing, is behind bars.”
Statement on behalf of the family of Gordon Semple,
“Gordon continues to be sadly missed by our family. Gordon we miss you so much, may you rest in peace.
“Gordon was a loyal and much loved long term partner, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend to all.
“We were devastated when the news broke of Gordon’s murder and the circumstances which are still incredibly hard to deal with. It is still insurmountably upsetting. Nothing takes away the pain of our loss.
“At Gordon’s funeral we met many of his friends and work colleagues – we were proud to hear how fondly they thought of Gordon.”
Passing sentence the Recorder of London Nicholas Hilliard QC, said,
“The PCs on scene encountered something no amount of training could have prepared them for. I commend them both.
“Mr Semple was dearly loved by his family and friends and no sentence carried by this court can equate to the precious human life lost.”
Addressing Brizzi directly he said: “No sentence I can pass can undo what you’ve done.
“I have no doubt that there came a time when you went beyond what was agreed and you decided to cause him really serious harm.”
He added: “Your attempts to conceal what happened and dismembering and destroying his body are terrible features of the case.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission, who are currently investigating the Metropolitan Police for their response to the deaths of four men in London are looking for witnesses who may have had contact with Stephen Port to come forward.
The bodies of all four men were found in the Barking area, between June 2014 and September 2015.
The Metropolitan Police Service referred itself to the IPCC in October 2015 after it identified concerns regarding the initial investigations into the men’s deaths.
Stephen Port was a member of a number of services and had a variety of handles on services, these were: shyfitguy on Flirt, Daddy4son2012 on Daddyhunt, topdomhunk on Hornet, knockknock2014 on PlanetRomeo, untilwemeet on Manhunt and StephenPort on Couchsurfing.
On gaydar his profile name was, skygay502 and on Grindr he was known as Top Fun Joe.
Peter Tatchell, gay rights activist, said,
“Appallingly, even after the third murder the police were still maintaining that the deaths were ‘unusual’ but ‘not suspicious.’ They did not issue a public alert to the gay community that a serial killer could be on the loose. This failing ignored Met Police best practice advice which was agreed two decades ago, after previous murders of gay men.
“The police appeal for public information came in October 2015 – a year too late. Four young men were already dead. This appeal should have been made in August 2014 after the first two killings. If the police had done this, further deaths may have been prevented. Two of these men might still be alive.
IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts said,
“Today our thoughts are with everybody affected by the tragic deaths of Anthony, Gabriel, Daniel and Jack at the hands of Stephen Port.
“It is important we establish whether the police response to the deaths of all four men was thorough and appropriate in the circumstances, including whether discrimination played any part in actions and decisions. As his trial established, Port was known to the police in connection to the death Mr Walgate. We now know that tragically, three more young men went on to lose their lives.
“I have met with LGBT community members in Barking and Dagenham to explain the IPCC’s role, and would like to provide the assurance that our investigators are continuing to work hard to scrutinise the police response to the tragic deaths of these four young men.
“We would like to hear from anybody who provided information to the police about Port, or any of his victims, between 19 June 2014 and 15 October 2015.”
Anyone with information should contact the IPCC on 0800 151 0021 or email barking&dagenham@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk.
He has been found guilty of the murders of Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21 and Jack Taylor, 25. Their bodies were dumped in or near a graveyard in Barking. The graveyard was 500 meters away from his flat in east London.
Port has denied 29 charges in total.
Initially, he was charged with four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of four men between June 2014 and September 2015.
The charges relate to the deaths of:
– Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, from Barnet, who was pronounced dead on Cooke Street, Barking on 19 June 2014.
– Gabriel Kovari, 22, from Lewisham, whose body was found near the churchyard of St Margaret’s Church, North Street, Barking on 28 August 2014.
– Daniel Whitworth, 21, from Gravesend, Kent, whose body was found near the churchyard of St Margaret’s Church, North Street, Barking on 20 September 2014.
– Jack Taylor, 25, from Dagenham, whose body was found near the Abbey Ruins close to North Street, Barking on Monday, 14 September.
The Met Police is currently under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission following concerns on how it handled the initial investigation into Mr Whitworth’s death.
Human rights advocate Peter Tatchell monitored the police handling of the serial killings of young gay men in east London from October 2014 and liaised with a friend of one of the victims, Gabriel Kovari.
Commenting on jury’s guilty verdict and the way police responded to the multiple murders by Stephen Port, he said,
“While timely and commendable, this verdict is no compensation for the loss of four young gay men who had their lives, hopes and dreams cut short.
“Appallingly, even after the third murder the police were still maintaining that the deaths were ‘unusual’ but ‘not suspicious.’ They did not issue a public alert to the gay community that a serial killer could be on the loose. This failing ignored Met Police best practice advice which was agreed two decades ago, after previous murders of gay men.
“The police appeal for public information came in October 2015 – a year too late. Four young men were already dead. This appeal should have been made in August 2014 after the first two killings. If the police had done this, further deaths may have been prevented. Two of these men might still be alive.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as it develops.
Two men were subjected to sustained homophobic verbal abuse as they held hands walking across the Jubilee footbridge towards Lambeth.
Supplied
Detectives from Westminster Borough have released footage of a man they would like to speak to in connection with a homophobic incident in Charing Cross close to the Heaven nightclub. The incident took place on August 13th and footage from the rant has just been made available to the public with cops asking the public for information to find the suspect after no arrests have been made.
Police were called at 02.00am on August 13th after the two men were subjected to anti-gay slurs.
The two men -aged 28 and 26- walked down the street holding hands they were approached by a man who shouted homophobic abuse at them. The man continued to shout at the victims as they walked west along Jubilee footbridge towards Lambeth.
One of the victims was able to record the suspect on his mobile phone.
The suspect is described as white, slim and in his early 30s. He was wearing a black top, dark hooded jumper, jeans and trainers.
Police Constable Emma Rogers, from Westminster CID, said,
“This is a shocking incident that has left both victims very distressed. We are keen to identify the man in the footage so we can speak to them about the incident. We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us.”
Anyone with information or any witnesses are urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Jake Berry MP has called upon the Met police to reopen the murder investigation of a talented gay actor and playwright, Drew Griffiths, calling the initial investigation “scandalous”.
Mr X Production Photo
Mr. Griffith was the victim of a vicious homophobic murder in the summer of 1984. Despite an initial investigation nobody was ever found guilty of his murder. The MP for Rossendale and Darwen said that because the case was not properly investigated, someone has “got away with murder”.
Jake Berry MP said,
“It is an absolute scandal that this case was not properly investigated, there is someone out there who has literally got away with murder.
‘There are allegations that this case was not properly investigated by the police at the time because of Drew’s sexuality and his work as an activist. Drew’s friends quite rightly want assurances that all potential avenues to solve this murder are pursued.”
The Metropolitan Police have advised that they are examining the original case files from the 1980’s but have yet to confirm whether the investigation will be formally reopened.”
Drew’s friend, Glynn Kelly, who brought the case to Mr Berry’s attention said,
“Drew was lively, witty, intelligent – and great company; He was a dynamic and positive life force. However, at the time of his murder he was dealing with some mental health issues and was very vulnerable.”
